Randomness

“Formerly, when I would feel a desire to understand someone, or myself, I would take into consideration not actions, in which everything is relative, but wishes. Tell me what you want and I'll tell you who you are.” 

Seven Minutes Of Terror

And so our new rover 'curiosity' finally makes it to the martian surface. Cheers for NASA and all those who worked hard to make this feat possible.

Our Youth-A blessing or a Curse

In a country, where 63% of the total population is concentrated below the age of twenty five years, formulation of political policies that support the youth are in one word-essential! The proportion of younger generation in the country is at its peak. While this would generally be something positive for any other country because it would mean that there would be presence of a larger working class; for a developing country like ours the situation is quite alarming.
Due to the slow economic growth coupled with inefficient political policies on behalf of the government for the future of our youth, Pakistan now faces another major concern. We do not have enough employment opportunities for our massive younger generation. In November 2009, the New York Times (NYT) while citing a report, commissioned by the British Council, wrote that “Pakistan will face a ‘demographic disaster’ if it does not address the needs of its young generation, the largest in country’s history, whose views reflect a deep disillusionment with the government and democracy.” Even though, this change in the country’s demographics can serve as a ‘demographic gift, ’in the form of a surge in the relative size of the working-age population and the youth within the working-age population for Pakistan, mismanagement on government’s behalf can turn this blessing into a disaster. Unemployment along with inflation, corruption and lack of power and gas facilities can force this huge population to exhort to extreme measures resulting in an overall increase in the countries unrest. Unemployment is not only an issue for the uneducated lot but also for many educated people. There is a huge pressure in the job market as there are lesser employment opportunities and greater number of graduates. Also, an inability to find employment for long period creates a sense of vulnerability, uselessness and idleness among young people and can heighten the attraction of engaging in illegal activities. There is also a proven link between youth unemployment and social exclusion. In both rural and urban areas, young people who complete education and are from socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds are likely to make the transition to work more smoothly, while the economically disadvantaged and socially excluded may face greater difficulties. Furthermore, employability of Pakistani youth in decent livelihood activities is also not very promising. Very few opportunities exist in the formal sector, which has been shirking for some time, for educated youth. Given this situation, the informal sector stands as a leading absorber of the labor force in the country. However, socio-cultural factors exert a strong influence on individuals' career choices in Pakistan. There are powerful norms around what economic roles an individual can or cannot perform based on his or her wealth, education, caste and gender. By and large, our society is averse to manual work and jobs involving "sweat and grease" are considered undesirable. Such perceptions are particularly strong among the relatively wealthy and educated, who prefer "clean jobs" (desk-based, clerical, supervisory or administrative positions). It has often been observed that the educated can remain voluntarily jobless for long periods of time in their search for the right form of employment. Thus, this further complicates the issue of unemployment in the country.
This youth potential if properly harnessed can bring a socio-economic revolution in Pakistan. All over the world youth is being given prime importance in future policy making due to rapidly evolving knowledge base; new and emerging technologies; ever growing potential of social and economic networking in modern times; and livelihood challenges .Thus, proper and timely management by the government can turn this ‘nightmare on the street’ to prosperity.

Unique Education System

A country which harbors discrepancy not only in its social system but also in the education system for the various socio economic classes does not hold much room for positive change. Education is the basic right of each and every citizen, whether he or she belongs to the elite class or is from the slums around the country. However, it is also important that the education system provided is a fair one. Taking note of this point, it should be realized that the more we privatize our educational system, the gap between the level of education provided for the rich and the poor increases. This results in a certain level of unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the masses. Here, I would like to point out that I am by no means against the private educational institutions because they are doing what they can to improve our deteriorating levels of education. However, in this way only a specific group of wealthy individuals who can afford to pay the hefty amounts can afford the high level of education. The question that needs to be addressed then is that what about the remaining people? Having a population of eighteen crore people, it is no easy task to make sure that they are all literate!

However, to ensure that the kids in the” peeli wardi” get the same level of education as the kids in the private educational systems, we have to make some very fundamental changes in the way things are monitored. Our perceptions play a vital role in shaping our image of the world. Perceptions about things start to develop the moment we take a step out in this world. It cannot be denied that schools play a strong part in molding children’s perceptions. The process of thinking is without doubt something that should be free and unique to an individual but the skills required to think should be inculcated in the core syllabus in schools. In this way, the difference between what is right and wrong can be judged by children themselves.

A unique syllabus should be assigned in all schools whether they are government institutions or private. The child studying in a private school should by no means have an advantage over someone studying at a government institution. There should be patience and a certain level of respect amongst the youth for each another. They should learn to consider others opinions with an open mind. This would further enhance the sense of equality between children. It is important that the sense of obeying rules should be infused in students at a very young age. Things like not breaking traffic signals and observing the speed limit etc should be laws that should be mandatory to follow. Again the perception that rules are meant to be broken should be treated like long gone clichés.

Our future generation should have the guts to stand up for what they think is right and condemn the evil doers. They should not be fearful of failure in life knowing that each end gives us an opportunity for rebirth. Thus, making sure that all the students receive the same education can help our country in the future because these children are what our country depends on for its prosperity.

Blink!

Some places don't need any explanation. The message is best conveyed through the picture itself<3

'Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining'

I came across this beautiful poem written by Coelho, and thought it was important that i share his insights about life. The beauty with which the words flow with each other is enthralling. It is for all the people out there who have been hurt, cheated upon or slandered-Learn the art of forgiveness. And believe that whatever hardships youre facing now would help to make you into a better person tomorrow. Have faith and hope for the best. And believe in the saying that every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes things even though they get cliche never lose their value. 


Prayer Of Forgiveness


The tears I shed, I forgive.
The suffering and disappointments, I forgive.
The betrayals and lies, I forgive.
The slandering and scheming, I forgive.
The hatred and persecution, I forgive.
The punches that were given, I forgive.
The shattered dreams, I forgive.
The dead hopes, I forgive.
The disaffection and jealousy, I forgive.
The indifference and ill will, I forgive.
The injustice in the name of justice, I forgive.
The anger and mistreatment, I forgive.
The neglect and oblivion, I forgive.
The world with all its evil, I forgive.
Grief and resentment, I replace with understanding and agreement.
Revolt, I replace with music that comes from my violin.
Pain I replace with oblivion.
Revenge, I replace with victory.I will be able to love above all discontentment.
To give even when I am stripped of everything.
To work happily even when I find myself in the midst of all obstacles.
To dry tears even when I am still crying.
To believe even when I am discredited.

Are We Alone?

I walk a lonely road

the only one that I have ever known

Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone...

These lyrics harbor this mysterious charm for me. Maybe it is because of the fact that they are true that they have made it into my heart. And i'm not referring to any broken hearts or screwed up relationships here-I am simply mentioning our lives in this context. We come alone in this world and eventually make it away from earth all alone too. Some people might argue that we are born to our parents and into loving families so we are not alone. But truth be told our parents, our families, spouses and children etc are all there because they support this system of life. Man has been created as a social animal so that he can support the way this life goes. They make this cycle go round and round. In reality, we are all alone. Though we make friends and have relationships but eventually they are not eternal too and like everything else in this world, they come to a fullstop and we are left alone once more.

My story, Your story, Our story

And isn't it strange how a single apple can make us discover something that was oblivious for thousands of years! An apple that changes the course of history and defines our future in that one instance! Because truth be told, without it we wouldn't have come so far. Our men would have never made it to the moon. And well we wouldn't have any alien mythologies in our lives:P
An apple falls in everyones life in one form or another-those who identify it and analyze the story of their fallen apple get the fame. Those who don't, they die without having fulfilled their true aim.

CHEERS FOR NEWTONS APPLE!